Spring opened index



Aug. 10, 1948. s. 1. BERGER 2,446300 SPRING OPENED INDEX Filed Feb. 16, 1946 I I I INVENTOR Samae 1 Berger MWSQMM #9442164 ATTORN EYS Patented Aug. 10, 1948 nmrso STATES PATENT orrics SPRING GPENED INDEX Samuel I. Berger, Newark, N. 3.

Application February 16, 1946, Serial No. 648,060

3 Claims.

The present invention is shown applied to a telephone index but has wider application to other sheet binders, especially loose leaf binders of the type that are resiliently urged open but are maintained closed by a releasable latch.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a device of the above type, which will not mar the table or other platform on which it rests and in which the spring opening of the cover upon latch release is arrested without noise, shock or destructive impact, all with a minimum of simple parts.

The invention is illustratively shown as an improvement upon the selector binder of my previous application Serial No. 634,449 filed December 12, 1945.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a telephone index to which the invention is shown applied,

Fig. 2 is a view in longitudinal cross section on a somewhat large scale, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal cross section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawings, the telephone index of my prior application above identified comprises a rectangular base H] which is generally flat except for a shallow raised platform I I supporting the stack of sheets l2. These sheets are perforated near their rear edges for mounting upon hinge fingers 13 about which they may be selectively raised with the cover it. The cover is hinged about pin l5 near its rear to ears I6 rising from the base. The cover is flanged as at IT and when in closed position the beaded rim edge B8 of the flange engages the correspondingly beaded rim ii] of the base as shown in Fig. 1.

The cover has an index plate 23 with the letters of the alphabet, numerals or other indicia therealong and an adjacent slot 2| serves as a guide for a slidable index button 22 which button has a hook conformation 23 riding laterally cf the raised platform l l of the base, selectively to clear sheets beyond its position of adjustment for lifting the same. To this end the sheets are laterally notched progressively at the overhang beyond platform II. The cover M is urged by strong coil spring 24 about pin I5 to open position, the spring being maintained stressed by releasable latch 25, hinged to the front of the base and overlapping the top of the cover. Further de- 2 scription of the telephone index is not required for present purposes, since this structure is not by itself claimed as the present invention and is only one typical structure to which the invention is applicable.

According to the present invention, the base is provided with yielding, desirably rubber support studs, of which the front ones are shown at 26 and the rear ones 27 serve also as bumpers, resiliently to arrest the rim of the cover flange l! as this is urged to open position when the latch 25 is released. These studs are desirably short cylinders of flexible natural rubber or synthetic rubber which may be affixed to and under the base by hollow rivets as at 28, countersunk into corresponding wells 29 in the lower face of the studs and beaded over the sheet metal base ID as at 36 at their upper ends. The two studs 21, near the rear of the base are sufiiciently forward of the rear edge to accommodate the height of the flange I? at the rear of the cover when the latter is hinged to the open position shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 2. Thus the rear studs 2'? perform the combined function of maintaining the base sufficiently elevated to allow the cover flange to hinge under the rear edge of the base without scraping the table or platform and to serve as resilient bumper means for arresting the cover in the limiting position shown, when the fairly powerful spring 24 urges the cover with its load of sheets to open position.

Thus it will be seen that the present invention as compared with that of the prior application, affords a soft non-scratching mount, frictionally engaging the table, glass or other support platform, so that the device is not subject to sliding, and the rear studs permit the use of a really powerful spring 24, effectively to snap the cover to open position, without shock, impact or noise, inasmuch as the sides of the rear studs 26 serve as bumpers yieldingly to arrest the rim of the rear of the cover flange.

As many [changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A sheet binder, comprising a base, resilient support studs for said base, a flanged cover hinged to said base, spring means urging the cover to open position, a releasable latch maintaining the cover closed, the rear studs being in the path of spring urged opening movement of the cover and serving as bumpers for arresting the rim of the rear portion of the cover flange.

2. A loose leaf binder comprising a generally rectangular base, rubber support studs, two near the fronti-anditwo-nean the rear; ofathe; basa, a rectangular flanged cover hinged tirthe rearof said base, a spring associated with the cover hinge to urge the same to open position, a releasable-a latch at the front of said base maintaining, said, cover closed, the sides of the rear studs serving as resilient stops for the rim of thewean-portion of the cover flange.

3. In a loose leaf index of the type comprising a rectangular base, a, stack of sheets progressively: indented laterally and-,resting on said base, a flanged cover hinged tosaid base. near therear thereof, index characters arranged, lengthwise. of said. cover, a. slide, on, said. cover: associated; with said, index, and, having hooking means enacting REFERENCES CITED 'Ilhefollowing references are of record in the tile of; this. patent;

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,000,902: Korte.w May14, 1935 789,5101 Stetson May 9,- 1905 909,827: Seibert Jan. 12, 1909 

